University of Virginia Library

New Course Record

Oarsmen Sweep Races

Virginia's crew swept the Easters
Cup Regatta in Charlottesville
Saturday, winning both the Junior
Varsity and Varsity events. East
Carolina University and Virginia
Commonwealth University
provided excellent competition as
all crews turned in good times. The
Virginia Varsity set a new course
record on flat water with almost no
wind; they rowed the 2,000 meter
event in 6:06.

The Virginia freshmen started
the afternoon off well as the first
eight nearly caught the second at
the finish line in an intra team race.
The second boat had been given a
sizeable head start, but the
heavyweight eight rowed them
down in the last five hundred
meters, finishing only three feet
behind the leaders. The winning
Freshman time was 6:10.

The Junior Varsity event was
next, and Virginia needed a strong
last 500 meters to hold off a
determined VCU eight by a length.
The Virginia JV started well and
picked up a length in the first 500
meters. VCU closed in the next
1,000 meters to within two-thirds
of a length with 400 meters to go.
But the gutsy Virginia JV's, ably
stroked by Bere Todd built the
stroke for the finish and held on for
the win. VCU was second, with
East Carolina a distant third.

The featured Varsity event
began with a fast start, Virginia
rowing a powerful forty strokes a
minute, over-stroking VCU and just
under East Carolina's beat. Virginia
settled to thirty-three strokes per
minute for the body of the race,
concentrating on hard catches and a
smooth recovery. The other two
crews over-stroked Virginia, but
lacked their power, Virginia and
East Carolina rowed even for the
first 700 meters with VCU just a
little behind. At that point Virginia
took a power-ten and walked up
half a length on East Carolina. At
the 1,000 meter mark Virginia took
a twenty stroke sprint, rowing at
thirty-seven strokes per minute,
and opened up a full-length lead on
East Carolina. For the next 500
meters the crews stayed relatively
even, but with 400 meters to go,
Virginia took up the stroke and
walked away from both of the
other crews. Virginia rowed to the
finish at thirty-seven strokes per
minute, never losing the power and
run they had maintained the entire
race. East Carolina finished two
lengths back, VCU just behind
them.

Virginia's Varsity eight is
stroked by Harrison O'Connor,
with co-captain Bob Tuke at seven,
Jack Plackter at six, Tom Lincoln at
five. Steve Plott at four, co-captain
Pete Luke at three, Rick Davisson
at two, and Jon Woodall in the
bow. Buddy Sydenstricker is the
coxswain. Next weekend Virginia
travels to Charleston, S.C., for the
Southern Rowing Championships,
then to Washington on May 3 for
the D.C. area championships, and
finally to Philadelphia on May 9-10
for the Dad Vail Small College
Championships.